Meaning of emvowel | Babel Free

Definitions

To replace a portion of a person's name with a dash in printing, in order to avoid libel.

dated, humorous

Examples

“And as for all the words I embowel, or rather emvowel, I will never ſo mangle them, but they ſhall be all as well known as if they retained every vowel in them.”

“Finally, to judge whether ſhe is abſolutely cried up as a BEAUTY, we muſt conſult the wooden regiſters, the benches in the public walks, and the window-panes in coffee-houſes and taverns; where you'll be ſure to ſee her name in acroſticks, or either emvowel'd, or written in full length, accompanied with the moſt emphatical endearing expreſſions.”

“I ſhall not encroach on the Old Baily Patriot in his priviledge of emvowelling, daſhing, aſterizing, and italicizing.”

“I reprobate the bold practice of licentiouly printing names at full length, without as much as modeſtly embowelling, or rather emvowelling them, or pleaſantly holding their owners in greater deriſion by a contemptuous alteration of them[.]”

“Yes—it ſtands forth to public view, Within, without, on white, on blue, In proper, tall, gigantic Letters, Not daſh'd—emvowell'd—like my betters.”

“But this barbarous custom of emvowelling words, is now quite exploded, in prose at least, by the best authors.”

“Fielding is let off lightly with a running comment on his misspellings and other peculiarities of style—deliberate punning and emvoweling.”

CEFR level